SCORING POINTS 

TRIES, GOALS, and FIELD-GOALS are all ways for a team to score points. Getting a TRY is the finest result. You gain FOUR POINTS for your squad if you can ground the ball over your opponent’s try line. By CONVERTING a place kick (a put kick from the ground) through the field posts and above the crossbar, the try-scoring team can score an additional TWO POINTS.

STOPPING THE TEAM FROM SCORING 

By tackling him and stopping the ball from moving, all thirteen opposing players on the field can prevent his target from crossing the goal line. When a player’s ball-carrying arm touches the ground and a tackler touches him, the tackle is complete. The defenders must get away from the ball carrier when he returns the ball to play with a PLAY THE BALL.

PLAY THE BALL

After a player has been grounded or called held by the referee, he will stand up and begin PLAY THE BALL. The tackled player does this by placing the ball in front of his foot and rolling it backwards with one foot to his team’s next receiver. The dummy half is the player who receives the ball (similar to a Quarter Back in American Football). Apart from the two defenders who guard the PLAY THE BALL area with one standing behind the other, the defensive team must retreat ten meters from the PLAY THE BALL. They can move forward once the tackled player’s foot rolls the ball back. It’s a penalty if they move too soon or don’t return the complete distance.

6 PLAY RULE (DOWNS) 

Before surrendering control to the other team, a team is allowed to PLAY THE BALL six times in an attempt to score. Most teams choose to kick to achieve better field position rather than throw the ball over on the sixth tackle (similar to the 4 Downs in American Football except they are playing for the full length of the field).

PASSING THE BALL –

The number of times the ball can be passed from one player to another is unlimited, but it cannot be passed forward or mishandled forward with the ball touching the ground.

KICK AND REGATHER

Only if the players contesting the ball are behind the kicker when it is first kicked may the attacking team kick in general play and attempt to retake the ball.

LOSING POSSESSION 

When a player fails to catch a ball cleanly and knocks it forward or gets carried over the side line while holding the ball, a scrum ensues, with the opposition team controlling the scrum’s feed into the centre. When the ball is booted and rolls over the sideline, a team loses possession (into touch).

SCRUMS

Is when each side’s six forwards create a triangle, face each other, pack down, and lock heads. The referee will then tell the Scum Half to release (or feed) the ball into the scrum’s middle, where the two forward packs will press against each other to control the ball’s trajectory and outcome.

OTHER SCORING 

You can score points by kicking a place kick over the crossbar if you are handed a PENALTY of TWO POINTS, in addition to scoring tries and conversions. You can also score ONE POINT by kicking a drop-kick through the posts with the ball in play. This usually happens late in a close game when both teams are trying to escape a tie or a draw.

OFFSIDE

Offside occurs when a player is in front of a teammate who kicks forward. If the receiving receiver sprints ten meters or the kicker passes him, he is back onside.

FOUL PLAY 

High tackles (head contact) are not permitted and result in a penalty (a kick for goal or six PLAYS). Stealing the ball from a player while there are other people in the tackle is also a penalty, as is hindering or blocking a player who isn’t in possession of the ball.